Memories Lost
by kristakles
Summary: Wo Fat, our favorite evil character that we love to hate, has kidnapped Steve and Lori. NOW THEY HAVE RETURNED! Steve has to deal with his memory loss. McWeston fluff. Don't own Hawaii Five-0, but I wish I did.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hawaii Five-O or any of the characters, sadly.

Steve was pacing the small cell, the stone making sharp slapping sounds as soon as his boots touched the floor. He paused, and took in his surroundings. It was like a horrible hotel room: it was dirty, but sufficient for daily needs. The only thing that truly stood out was an ornately decorated mirror, hanging proudly on the stone wall. Its gilded frame was golden and polished to a glowing shine. The mirror itself had three scratches in it, but was otherwise unimpaired and free of dust.

Steve resumed his pacing.

Who was Lori? He had no idea, but he should know. The tone in his captor's voice made clear that she thought he knew. The name Lori didn't ring any bells, and that troubled him.

He couldn't remember his past. At night, he would dream of sitting with five other men, laughing, with heavy guns in their hands and his own. But as soon as he would wake, those memories were gone.

"Alone, I am lethal. As a team we dominate," Steve said quietly to himself. He vaguely remembered that it was a motto, but for what? He wanted to know so badly. Maybe if he remembered one thing, the rest of his memories would come flooding back to him. It would be overwhelming, but worth it.

People said that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. What if Steve couldn't remember his life? He would see nothing from his past, only now and the future that was in front of him, and it didn't look very good. Steve wanted to see good memories when he died.

Steve quickly shook the morbid thoughts out of his head.

Maybe Lori, whoever she was, was in trouble. Steve's captor had tried using her as bait, he could tell. But he didn't know who she was. His captor, who had introduced himself as Wo Fat, thought that Steve knew him.

Steve still couldn't remember anything.

Of course, there were probably things he wouldn't wanted to have remembered. Wo Fat said things about Steve's father and a person named Shelbourne, and had flown into a rage and stormed out of the room when he did not see the telltale flicker of recognition in Steve's eyes.

At least Steve was alive.

His senses sharpened when he heard the sounds of fighting and footsteps, and he jumped back when a woman was thrust into the room. She managed to land a punch on one of the guards, and Steve saw the mischievous glint in her green eyes as she smirked when she heard the crack of a broken nose.

The guards slammed the door hurriedly and the woman screamed in Japanese, "Watashi wa, kitanai buta o anata o korosou to surutsumori desu!"

Steve silently translated her statement into English: "I'm going to kill you, filthy pig!"

They stood there in awkward silence, and she ran a hand through her tangled dirty-blond hair.

"Hi, Steve," she said quietly.

"Hi."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

"Hey, what's your name?" Steve asked. He crossed his arms and shifted into a wide-legged stance.

Her eyes widened, but she managed to mask her surprise and whisper, "Lori."

"So you're the person Wo Fat is always talking about," Steve said, relief flooding his features.

He couldn't remember anything.

ANYTHING. Everything except for his name.

That really bugged him.

He wanted to know why he was here, what the tattoos on his arms were for, why there were cuts and bruises all over him, and the identity of the woman sitting next to him in the cell. The extent of his knowledge was that they were kidnapped and thrown into this cell together.

They didn't talk at all after they were "introduced." They sat next to each other almost all day, only not sitting next to each other when the other was dragged out of the cell to be interrogated by an Asian-looking man that seemed to dress classily in suits even in the hot, humid weather.

Now they were sitting next to each other, hips touching. The woman leaned on his shoulder, resting her head on it, and Steve wrapped his arms around her without hesitation.

The woman started crying, her green eyes becoming clearer as she silently let the tears run down her face.

He wiped the tears from her face, and she looked up at him as he did so.

"We are going to be okay." The woman looked up hopefully when Steve said that.

"I want to go back to Hawaii," the woman said calmly. "You think your memory will ever come back?"

"I have no idea," Steve said, pain and exhaustion thick in his voice.

"I'm Lori," Lori said, tucking a piece of hair with blood on it behind her ear, "considering we'll need another introduction."

Steve swallowed hard. "You know who I am?"

"Yes," Lori whispered, looking up at him. "More than these people. They never will."

"Why we were kidnapped?"

"Wo Fat-the guy that's been running this whole thing-might've done it so he could try and get the whereabouts of one of your friends, but considering you've gotten a clean slate, that's going to be hard for him, fortunately."

Steve closed his eyes, sighing, wishing to be anywhere but here, but to have Lori with him. His arms remained fixed around Lori's shoulders, and she kept her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Lay down," Lori quietly commanded, a tiny bit of force in her voice. Steve did so, resting his head in her warm lap. Lori began unconsciously running her fingers through his hair, and Steve grunted.

"Oh my gosh, sorry, I'll stop," Lori said nervously, stopping.

"No, it feels good." He smiled up at her as she ran her fingers through his hair, and she looked down at him, worry still on her face.

"You sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

Lori continued running her hands through Steve's hair, and he smiled the tiniest bit and yawned.

"I'm going to fall asleep if you keep doing that, Lori," Steve said quietly, looking up at Lori with his intense blue gaze.

"You want me to stop?" Lori murmured, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Nope." Lori chuckled and continued playing with Steve's hair, looking out the window with iron bars preventing their freedom. She looked outside, knowing the world was out there just within reach, but she couldn't. Lori unknowingly stopped toying with his hair as she gazed sadly outside.

Steve had grunted when Lori stopped, but looked up at her, worried, when he saw her stare so full of melancholy it made him sad too.

"This isn't unlike my childhood," Lori joked quietly, and carefully placed her hands on Steve's chest. The warmth that came from Lori's hands was intoxicating to Steve.

"I wish I knew more about you."

"You did, but Wo Fat, the charming man that he is, decided to undo all that."

"Mmm."

The door opened slowly and in walked Wo Fat.

"Hello," he said cooly, and Steve immediately felt anger rise in his chest. "Lori, please come with me."

Lori slowly got up, gently resting Steve's head on the cold floor and walking over to Wo Fat, and he tightly gripped her arm and dragged her out of the room.

Wo Fat suddenly threw her on the floor and screamed, "TELL ME!"

Lori's eyes remained calm-looking and she whispered, "I don't know who Shelbourne is. Steve didn't know me well enough or trust me enough to tell me because I had only recently been forced on the team."

"Forced?"

"Governor Denning."

There was a long, silent pause, and Lori's captor pulled a photo out of his pants pocket and tossed it onto the floor.

Lori picked it up, and panic and fear and infinitesimal amounts of anger filled her. "NO!" she screamed, her hands shaking.

It was a photo of Danny, shot in the shoulder.

"No, no, no, no. You...you. I'm going to KILL you," Lori stuttered.

Wo Fat smirked. "I see that you care for him," he said calmly.

"I care for all of them!" Lori cried. "They're a family, and I'm not part of that. Why couldn't you have just taken me, and left Steve?"

"It looks as if you've almost figured out our plan."

"What?" Lori whispered.

"We're returning Steve to Hawaii."

"And keeping me here."

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"Thank you?"

"I do not deserve to be a part of their family," Lori whispered. "You're hurting them by keeping him here."

"Sure," Wo Fat almost purred. He gripped her arm tightly, hauling her up, and dragged her down the hallway back to the cell where Steve was.

Wo Fat opened the door violently and threw Lori on the floor, then turning on his heel and walking out, shutting and locking the door.

"Hey," Steve whispered.

"Hey," Lori said wearily. She stretched out on the floor, extending her long legs and arms. She closed her eyes, aware of the pain and exhaustion radiating through her body. Worry flitted across her mind when she thought of Danny.

Steve scooted over and put his warm hand on Lori's. "Any news?"

"Yeah, actually, Wo Fat's letting you go. Thank goodness," Lori said, smiling. She left out the part about Danny.

"And you?"

Lori's face fell when he asked, tears glimmering in her eyes.

"I stay."

"No!" Steve whispered. "I don't know anyone else anymore."

Lori looked around the room, anywhere but Steve's eyes. When she looked up, she saw an open square in the ceiling.

Two crates.

"I may be able to escape, actually," Lori said, but grabbed Steve's hands and looked him square in the eye. "You can trust three people: Danny, Chin Ho, and Kono. They are your non-biological family. You don't need me."

"I trust YOU. Lori. You have to escape," Steve whispered urgently, gripping Lori's hand like a lifeline. "I don't know anyone else!"

Lori ignored his remarks and said quietly, "Repeat their names back to me," and tears leaked out of her eyes.

Steve wiped them away, part of him knowing that the probability of her escaping alive was small and hating it, and replied, "Danny, Chin Ho, and Kono."

Steve was taken out of the room, and Lori made sure she heard no footsteps before she stacked the crates up and climbed out her prison.

Fresh night air greeted her, and she welcomed it. She clambered onto the concrete roof, and walked quietly to the side, and jumped off onto the ground.

There was a guard on the ground, and he looked at her with wide eyes. Lori punched him hard enough to knock him out and took his gun and crushed his comms unit.

She ran into the forest, running alongside the road. She heard the rumbling of a motor and shied away from sight, fading into the trees. Lori's heart leapt into her chest when she saw Danny alive and well, unharmed, saw Chin and Kono. Breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Steve.

Lori ran faster, faster. She ran onto the road, in front of the ATV that was carrying them. Chin stopped it and smiled beatifically. Steve jumped out of the ATV and hugged her tightly. He kissed the top of her head, and kept his arms loosely wrapped around her neck.

"Thank goodness you're okay," he murmured into her ear.

"Let's roll, come on," Lori urged, grabbing Steve's hand and leading him to the vehicle.

They all drove off, back to home.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve was a stranger to everyone except for Lori.

It was so awkward.

Danny seemed so sad, but was able to bury everything under a sarcastic mask. Kono and Chin were calm, but Lori knew that the members of Five-0 were devastated that Steve no longer knew them as extended family, but rather as people he had just met. She should know. She was too. 'But,' her persistently annoying little conscience wondered, 'was she even part of that extended family before?'

On the way to the hospital in the SUV, Steve was unusually quiet, Danny was ranting, Kono was laughing at Danny, Chin was smiling because Kono was, and Lori sat on the sidelines, quietly observing with a happy smile. She was happy to be going home.

Except she wasn't sure where her home was anymore.

Her home in Connecticut, where her grandfather had loved her. Her home in Quantico, with her law enforcement friends.

And then there was the house in Maryland.

It wasn't a home; it was a house. A lonely, empty house brimming with expensive furniture and expensive drapes and expensive everything. It was always ominous, too big, and seemed darker inside during the day than it was outside at night. No, it was not a home. It was a house.

Her home in Hawaii. Her HOME. The place she least expected to call home, but now, here she was, wanting to go home. Wanting to go home in Hawaii.

Steve looked over at Lori, and saw her smiling, but pain and exhaustion in her eyes and shoulders. She looked like she was going to slump over and fall asleep at any given time now.

"We're going to the hospital, get you two fixed up," Chin said. He looked in the rearview mirror to glance and see how Steve and Lori were holding up.

Lori yawned and nodded a little. "Yay. I totally love hospitals," she said sarcastically. Kono chuckled. "How's your shoulder, Danny?" Lori asked.

"What?" Danny said, confusion showing on his face.

"Didn't you get...never mind."

"What what what? Tell me," Danny urged.

"Wo Fat showed me a picture in which your shoulder was shot and bloody and stuff," Lori explained, blushing a little. She crossed her arms, embarrassed.

"Must've been photoshop. Can't trust Wo Fat to feed you good information," Danny said, shrugging, "Shoulder's fine."

"Oh, okay." Lori let a sigh of relief out of her mouth. Danny gave her a small smile.

"Hm," Steve sighed. "Why was Wo Fat going to keep you there?" He looked at Lori with a curious glance.

"Um, he was going to give you back, to make you guys more agreeable to the ransom for me. I guess. I was going to be his leverage," Lori explained, gesticulating with her hands. "It's also possible he wanted intel about Homeland Security, since I used to, you know, work there. But probably not."

Chin nodded at her. "I'm glad both of you are safe."

"Me too," Steve said, grasping Lori's hand and giving it a small squeeze. He smiled a little, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Hey, you guys," Kono said, finally joining the conversation. "Have you noticed that Wo Fat sort of looks like the Chairman from Iron Chef America?"

Danny and Chin started cracking up, and Kono grinned. Lori shook her head, smiling.

"But he does!" Kono whined. "He really does!"

"You're right," Lori assured her.

"THANK you. Finally. Someone who agrees," Kono sighed, and smiled at Chin. Steve had a small smirk on his face.

"Hospital time!" Chin said, in a singsong voice.

"Nooooo," Lori grunted. Chin smiled at her.

"I hate hospitals," Steve said with a fair amount of animosity in his voice.

"Deal with it, BRAH!" Danny called.

"Hey hey. No mocking my culture. Shut up, brah," Kono warned, but she was still smiling.

"It's my culture too!" Chin cried jokingly.

"God. I can already smell the antiseptic," Lori said, and Steve laughed.

Several hours later, the team's visit to the hospital was finished, and they were sitting in headquarters, gathered around the Smart Table, packages for Band-Aids, gauze, bandages and medical tape strewn carelessly across the surface of the Smart Table.

"Water for everyone!" Danny declared, bringing a twelve-pack of bottled water over and dumping it on the table.

"Yay!" Lori cried. "Now. What to do?"

"Let's watch a chick flick on the screen!" Kono said.

"No," Danny, Steve, and Chin groaned simultaneously.

"What's wrong with Ryan Gosling?" Lori asked, smiling and playfully bumping Kono's arm with her elbow.

"Nuh-uh. Josh Duhamel," Kono countered.

"Mmm. He is too attractive for his own good," Lori agreed.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Chin interrupted, his big brother voice kicking in. Kono grinned mischievously at him.

"Harry Potter it is!" Danny declared.

"Mmm, no," Lori said.

"Roger that," Kono said.

"TOY STORY 3!" Lori exclaimed.

"YES. I agree; Grace absolutely adores that movie, and so do I," Danny said.

They spent the next two hours laughing. And tearing up during certain parts, in Kono's case.

Lori fell asleep during the movie, after Steve had wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

The rest of team left, and Steve and Lori were left alone in headquarters.

Lori woke, and stretched out her arms. Steve smiled at her, and Lori was pleased to see his face the first thing she saw when she awoke. They sat in comfortable silence, needing nothing but the other's warmth.

"Do you think my memory will come back?" Steve whispered.

"Doctor said it would be gradual, but honestly, I have no idea," Lori said quietly.

"I want to remember everything." Steve's expression was determined, telling Lori all in one look that he would go to hell and back to get every single memory of his past back where he thought it belonged. Lori sighed, contemplating whether or not to try and dissuade him even though she already knew she never could and never would.

"There might be some things you may not want to remember, Steve," Lori finally decided to say. A look of worry flitted across Lori's face when Steve frowned.

"Like what?" he asked.

"You were tortured in Korea for answers. They asked you questions that you didn't have the answers to," Lori explained simply.

"Oh. Torture. Yeah, I can see why I may not want to recall that certain memory," Steve said, and pulled Lori a little closer. He smiled down at her, and she returned it.

Lori gave a happy hum of agreement and closed her eyes briefly. A phone rang, shattering the comfortable silence that had fallen upon the two. Lori grunted with a look of distaste written on her face and pressed ignore.

"And that was?" Steve asked.

"An acquaintance. Evil, lying, selfish son of a-" Lori spat, but Steve interrupted before she could continue.

"Why was he so...evil?" Steve decided to proceed delicately with this topic, since he had never seen Lori this angry before.

"He was a true first-class jerk. He was HORRIBLE to his parents. So nasty to them, when they were nothing but kind to him. They paid for everything he wanted, the little-gah. And on the day of our wedding, his mother tells me, 'Run as fast as you can. Take my car.' And I did," Lori said, finishing with a happy flourish of her wrist and a proud smile. "Except I went on foot instead."

Steve was silent, but smiling at the fact that Lori was here with him now. But then, realization sunk in: "Whoawhoawhoa. Wedding? You were going to MARRY that jerk?"

"Mm-hmm. His bitchy side didn't come out until we started planning the wedding."

"Mmm. No one likes a man bitch," Steve said, nodding his head.

Lori pointed at him with her index finger and grinned, agreeing, "Damn straight."

Steve chuckled. He rubbed his forehead where the bandages were, and Lori sighed. Suddenly, the door to HQ opened and in came none other than Catherine Rollins. Steve rose to his feet after giving Lori an unsure and slightly nervous look.

"Steve!" Catherine cried, running towards him and throwing her arms around him. Steve stiffened noticeably, and looked at Lori with his expression saying, "Who is this person?" Lori mouthed the word "girlfriend." Steve's eyes widened with surprise and he looked down at the brown-haired woman hugging him tightly.

"Are you okay?" Catherine asked, letting go of Steve and stepping back to look at him fully.

"Sort of...what's your name?"

"What?" Catherine's face went slack from shock.

"What's your name?" Steve asked again.

"What happened?" Catherine questioned. She looked over at Lori briefly with a distrustful glance. Lori snorted indelicately at Catherine's unspoken accusation and walked into her office, shaking her head. She forced herself not to watch the conversation between Steve and Catherine, and instead looked at pictures of her family that were sitting atop her desk. Lori ignored the rising voices that were in the room next to her. She smiled at the picture of Jason, her four-year-old nephew, with her sister Aileen. She continued looking until she got to the photo of her father.

Her amazing, kind, caring father.

Too bad he was gone.

She scowled at the woman that was next to her father in the picture: her mother. Her mother had been the epitome of a horrible mother. Alcoholic, gold-digging train wreck of a mother.

Lori slammed the photo frame down before she could take a knife to her mother's face printed on paper. The sound startled her but gave her a small glimmer of satisfaction.

Lori looked up as Steve came in.

"Well, that was interesting," Steve sighed. Lori looked at him with a sarcastic "No, really?" look on her face, and Steve grinned.

"C'mon, I'll drive you to your house. Let's roll," Lori said, slipping her bag onto her aching shoulder and wincing, then gesticulating towards the door.

"M'kay, one sec, lemme grab my...hmm," Steve responded, not quite sure of what he needed to get. Lori smiled a little and pointed to the gun that would be plastered to her hip at all times from now on. "Oh, my gun. Yeah."

Steve walked into the house following Lori, absorbing his surroundings. He saw photos...of himself. A young blonde woman, a man with blue eyes not unlike Steve's. A brown-haired woman with a cheery smile, hugging a small boy.

'Who were these people?' Steve thought, and his eyebrow furrowed as he tried to concentrate.

Lori came up again, and Steve looked over to see her face stripped of the bandages. She was looking at the photos, but Steve looked at her with affection in his blue eyes. Her face was marred with two cuts on her forehead and one on her cheekbone, but he thought she looked breathtaking.

"Ugh. These bandages are so annoying," Lori said, fingering the tape surrounding the gauze on her neck. She peeled it off a little.

"Nuh-uh." Steve gently pulled her hand away from her neck. "Keep that one on, okay?" Lori let out a little huff, but left it alone. She yawned.

"Wanna stay here?" Steve asked gently, so softly, Lori wondered if he thought she looked fragile.

"Only if you want me to."

"Yes. I do. I-," Steve pursed his lips, "I just really don't want to be alone after what happened. I need someone."

"Sure. Couch?" Lori guided him towards the family room, which had the couch facing the ocean.

"Wow. I wish I could've remembered something so beautiful," Steve whispered. "Want to sleep now?"

"Wait," Lori said and put her hands on her hips. A grin crossed her face, reaching her eyes and making them sparkle.

"What?"

"Let's go outside." She clapped her hands together, not unlike a child, and Steve smiled at her.

"Why?"

"I need to know something." And with those words, Lori slid open the sliding glass door and sprinted outside to the wet sand. She kept looking at her footsteps as she went, and let out a shout of joy. Steve stared at her quizzically, but followed her outside anyways. He was greeted with the sight of Lori twirling around in the sand, the ground lighting up beneath her with each step she took. He grinned.

"There IS bioluminescent plankton here!" Lori gasped, laughing as she spun breathlessly, leaping all over the sand. There was a trail of bluish green light sparkling just where her feet had left, and she pranced down the beach, running towards the water, and she abruptly stopped.

She ran her hand slowly through the water, letting it envelop her fingers. It felt cool and silky smooth and any positive adjectives she could think of. It felt amazing. As she stirred the water, it sparkled from the moonlight and the plankton lighting up. Steve sauntered up in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders and his chin on her head.

Lori swore that she stopped breathing and her heart leapt into her throat.

"Hmmm," Steve hummed.

"That was my immature moment of the week," Lori said softly, and Steve laughed. She could feel it rumble through her, and it made her happy.

"I wish I could remember more about you, Lori," Steve said simply. "Because I wish I had more memories like this."

"Of?"

"You and me. Together." He turned her to the side and kissed her temple. Lori sighed happily and wrapped her arms around his muscular torso, letting Steve's heartbeat and the sparkling black waves lull her into a blissful obliviousness to the rest of the world.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Okay, I said this was going to be a one-shot.

I lied.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii Five-0, never have, never will, unfortunately. If I did, Lori would still be here. So, internally, I am virtually beating Peter Lenkov over the head with a virtual baseball bat as you read this. :) Enjoy, and leave questions and/or comments if you desire, or PM me. THANK YOU FOR READING. Really. It means a lot. I'm sorry I left it hanging.

Lori rubbed her head for the millionth time, trying to wish away the headache that was currently throbbing. She sat in a wicker chair in Steve's living room, her legs tucked beside her. Her steel gray laptop was precariously balanced on her knee and the arm of the chair, as Lori Skyped with her fourteen-year-old niece, who was currently gushing about her crush. Alana was by far Lori's favorite niece (out of three: Alana, Katherine, and Natalie), and loved traveling to Connecticut to see her. She loved seeing all of them, but she loved Alana the most for her enthusiasm about everything, as Alana oftentimes threw herself completely into schoolwork, sports, or fangirling. One time, Alana had called Lori, and sobbed and cried for two hours talking about The Vampire Diaries. Lori had sat there in amused silence as Alana had screeched into the phone as soon as Lori had picked up: "ELENA IS SO STUPID! Damon told her that he LOVED her, for freaking CHRIST'S sake, and then she freaking says, 'Well, maybe that's the problem'!" JESUS CHRIST!" And then Alana had sat there crying for forty-five minutes, then continued ranting for the next hour and fifteen minutes.

Lori then told her that she would use that as blackmail against her in her later life.

"Ohmygosh, and then he told me that my eyes sparkled, and then I blushed, and then he told me I looked cute when I blushed! YEEEE!" Alana squealed, and Lori grinned. Alana bounced up and down in her desk chair, which Lori knew was covered in Dora stickers.

-Flashback-

Lori and Alana were SO bored. Lori's sister and Alana's mother, Danielle, was busy talking to a remodeler who was scheduled to remodel their kitchen in two months.

Katherine walked into the kitchen, tossed ten sheets of Dora stickers on the counter, and walked out. Alana and Lori exchanged mischievous glances, and ran up to Alana's room.

Two hours later, all of the sheets were completely empty, and Alana's desk chair, desk, cell phone, and laptop were covered in Dora stickers.

-End flashback-

"So, he's a looker?" Lori asked, raising her eyes suggestively.

"Ohmygosh, YES! He looks EXACTLY like Logan Lerman!" Alana gushed. She closed her brown eyes and took deep breaths in and out in order to calm herself.

"You good?" Lori chuckled.

"All good." Alana's voice was now calm, and had an almost airy quality to it.

"Anything new I should know about? New obsessions? How the ski racing team is doing?" Lori pressed.

"Oh, skiing is great! I got first place the other day! YAY!" Alana cried, throwing her arms in the air, with a ridiculously happy face. Lori grinned knowing that the happy face was real.

"So, did your mom tell you about what happened to me?" Lori said quietly. The happy look on Alana's face was quickly gone, replaced by a quizzical look.

"What?"

"She didn't tell you? I asked her to."

"I want to know. Now," Alana demanded, her voice now steely with determination. Her eyes were flashing, even over Skype.

"I got kidnapped, but I'm okay. I don't want you worrying about me," Lori said softly.

"You-kidnapped?" Alana sputtered, shocked. Lori nodded slowly. Alana shoved some stray dirty blonde hair away from her face roughly.

"Well. That must have sucked. And I'm super pissed Mom didn't tell me."

"You deserve to be," Lori replied. She was angry that Danielle hadn't told them, too, because she hated dropping the bombshell herself. It made everything uncomfortable with other people, but Lori highly doubted that it would make anything awkward with Alana. They both knew how to expertly skirt around it, but only with each other.

"On a happier note, Mom's letting me go to a One Direction concert! Aaaaand she got me super VIP tickets! Which means I get to meet them! Ohmygod, I'm so-" Alana said, then erupted into tears. "I'm so HAPPY!"

Lori sat there, staring into the camera with an amused expression as Alana cried happily. Steve walked in, having just taken a shower, and as soon as he saw Lori sitting there Skyping with a crying teenage girl, he raised his eyebrows at Lori. He was also lacking a shirt. Lori turned around and shrugged, then turned back to the laptop, hiding a blush at the lack of Steve's clothing, and the fact that he looked amazing.

"Alana, I have to go," Lori said softly, and Alana's head snapped up.

"What? No," Alana whined. "Aunnnty, a little longer?"

Lori smiled and shook her head.

"Please?"

"It's ten in Hawaii, honey." Lori glanced at her grandfather's old watch that had been on her left wrist for over fifteen years now.

"Please?" Alana was now begging. Steve smiled, about to walk away, now knowing Alana and Lori were extremely close. He was struck with the sudden realization that if Alana wanted to talk to Lori this badly, Lori would be a great mother. He stopped in his tracks.

"Seriously, Alana." Lori's voice snapped Steve out of his reverie.

"Please? I promise, no more fangirling or crying or gushing. Wait, wait, wait. Who is that shirtless man behind you? Aunty?" Alana interrogated, raising her eyebrows and smirking. Lori rolled her eyes.

"Alana, meet Steve. My coworker," Lori said, absently gesturing to Steve. Who was smirking. Lori rolled her eyes again.

Lori and Steve both hated being alone. And it was easy to talk to each other; no uncomfortable pauses, just quick banter or the occasional deep conversation. It was easy having Lori at Steve's house, especially because he didn't know anyone else, and as long as he was being honest, he really enjoyed her company.

"Mm-hmm. Coworker. Sure," Alana teased, crossing her arms. Steve laughed.

"Aw, dang it, Lori, Alana found us out," Steve said, and Lori smacked his bare chest with the back of her hand. He laughed.

"Oh, please, Steve, shut it. And Alana, you're crazy. One second, you're crying over One Direction, the next, you're interrogating me about this man, who just happens to be shirtless, who is strictly my coworker," Lori said, beginning to be a little impatient. Lori's green eyes widened when she felt Steve's hand rest on the bare patch of skin on her shoulder, and her heart started beating faster.

"Who's One Direction?" Steve asked, leaning over Lori's shoulder, his face directly next to hers.

Lori turned around, disbelieving. Steve's blue eyes were dancing with amusement.

"You don't know who One Direction is?" Alana asked, confusedly crossing her arms, and narrowing her brown eyes. She shoved her blonde hair away from her face again.

"You know. Five boys, British-Irish..." Lori said, trailing off. She turned back to the computer. "He doesn't KNOW!" Lori whispered fiercely.

"Force him to listen. Now. I command you!" Alana hissed, and Steve laughed. Lori shook her head, smiling.

"No."

"Please?"

"No. We just got back from you-know-where. We're tired," Lori said, slowly shaking her head.

"Oh. Yeah. That." Alana said, fidgeting. "Natalie, GET OUT of my room!"

"Don't you dare speak to your sister like that, Alana Carrie Henderson," Lori warned. Alana looked at her, with that exasperated look that only teenagers have perfected.

"Ugh, not the full name thing. Sorry, Natalie," Alana groaned. "Okay, so talk to you next week?" Alana clapped her hands together happily, her eyes lighting up with the prospect of talking to Lori again.

"Yup." Lori grinned.

"Okay. BYE UNCLE STEVE!" Alana said, winking, then ended the chat. Lori rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to endure her fangirling and interrogation," Lori said quietly, blushing.

Steve just smiled and walked into the kitchen. Lori groaned to herself, banging her head against the back of the wicker chair. Obviously, this was either going to be used as blackmail, or she was going to be ruthlessly teased about this all the time.

"So, Lori, you're Mrs. McGarrett

now, apparently," Steve joked.

"Hnnnnng," Lori groaned. "Let's address more pressing matters? Please?"

Steve's smile dropped slightly. "Like my memory?" he finally said.

"Yessum," Lori said with a quick nod. "I really hope it doesn't just come rushing back all at one time. Because you would be overwhelmed and/or freaked out. Is there anything you can remember?" Lori quickly said, gesticulating with her hands the whole time. Her green eyes were filled with concern.

"Maybe. I'm not sure...if it's a real memory or something. You know?" Steve said.

"Go ahead," Lori said quietly, sitting up straight.

"Well, we were in a construction yard or something. And there was this small, brown-haired woman. She had-" Steve paused, rubbing his neck. "She had you at gunpoint. I was so worried. And she said, 'I hate heroes,' and I shot her."

"Of course you have to remember the time where you saved my pathetic ass," Lori said, pulling her knees up to her chest. "That's a real memory."

"Not my favorite," Steve whispered. "I remember feeling so scared. I also remember a pile of dirt, a bread truck, and a woman hugging me." Steve sighed, hating the feeling of confusion that hung over him all the time now. He picked up a picture that was sitting by the stove, and looked at it. "Who's this?"

Lori shrugged. "I never met her, but I think she's your sister."

Steve looked a long, hard look at it. He willed himself to remember the blonde girl in the photo with eyes so much his own. Steve himself was in the photo, and he was grinning, maybe laughing, even with butterfly bandages decorating his forehead and gauze wrapped around his upper arm. So was his apparent sister, who was grinning like an idiot, and she was looking up at him as if he was her favorite person in the world. Steve wondered if he loved her like that too.

Lori joined him in the kitchen, her hip brushing his as she investigated the pantry. Steve blushed.

"No Spam? You must not be Hawaiian," Lori teased, looking at him with a smile. "Ooh. Pasta. Yes, I love carbs." She grabbed a box of pasta, and set it on the counter. She rummaged through his fridge, looking for ingredients.

"Lori, it's ten at night," Steve said.

"So?"

"It's ten. Do you want food now?"

"Yes."

"Can we just go to bed?"

"Fine. Talking to a crying fangirl makes you hungry, you know," Lori said, pointing at Steve. She put the pasta back and walked to the couch. Lori stared at it as if it held the answers to all of Steve's questions, but turned abruptly and walked onto the verandah outside. She continued walking to the beach, letting the waves wash over her feet. Steve just stood at the counter, watching her.

Lori thought about their escape. Now, she could barely even remember it. It was a blur of a movie with occasional clear stills. Lori realized that there was water on her face. Did she get sprayed with ocean water? She wiped the water away, and realized it was quickly coming down from her eyes.

She was crying.

Why?

She had no idea.

Maybe it was the unnatural surge of relief that she felt when she knew that Steve was safe.

Maybe it was the fact that she was pining for Steve, and thinking that he didn't reciprocate those feelings.

Maybe it was because she hadn't cried in five years.

Five years ago, on April 30th, was the day she was going to be married in a charming little town ten miles from the state line between New Hampshire and Maine. But she heeded who was supposed to be her future mother-in-law's advice and ran. She ran and ran and ran away from the ceremony, feeling the cool New Hampshire earth under her bare feet and the freedom swelling in her chest. Her heels had long since been abandoned. She hadn't even realized how far she had run until she was in Maine and saw the state boundary sign on the side of the road.

What a sight she must have been. An extremely happy woman running barefoot in a wedding dress, with two calla lilies in her pulled-up hair and a veil that had been torn from her bun clutched in her perfectly manicured fingers. But the woman was crying, and she had no idea why.

Lori realized, walking in the moonlight on a Hawaiian beach, that she was crying tears of joy.

Had she still been in New Hampshire with her ex-fiancé that probably loved deer hunting season more than her, she would have been miserable. Life would suck. And she wouldn't be here.

"You okay?" a voice said, right next to her ear. Lori recognized it as Steve's.

"Fine. I'm fine."

Steve rubbed the small of her back.

"You sure?"

Lori nodded, smiling.

"I'm great."


	4. Chapter 4

Steve sat up with a gasp. Lori's face flitted with concern, and she sat up as well. They had been sleeping on the couch.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Lori asked. Steve shook his head and leaned into the couch, and looked over to Lori, who still looked concerned, and her lips were pursed with worry.

"Mmmm," Steve grunted. Lori raised her eyebrows, but didn't press any further.

"Are you absolutely, positively sure that you're okay?" Lori asked.

"No."

"Well, do you want to talk? Spill your innermost feelings, pour your heart out?" Lori said. Steve chuckled.

"I think one of my memories came back," Steve whispered.

"And it wasn't necessarily a good one," Lori guessed.

"Yeah," Steve said softly, and reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. Lori made a small hum of agreement in her throat and nodded a little.

"Something like that actually happened to me when I was young," Lori mused. "Went into a coma, woke up, and had no idea where I was and who the people around me were, but I remembered quickly."

"I didn't know that about you." Steve looked at Lori curiously when he said this.

"Wasn't relevant." Lori shrugged.

"Now it is."

"I guess so," Lori responded, looking over at Steve with a small smile on her face. His heart skipped a beat, and he gave her hand a small squeeze. They sat in comfortable silence, and Lori curled into the side of the couch, closing her eyes.

"You cold?" Steve said, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over Lori.

"Sort of," she murmured. She burrowed into the blanket, her green eyes peeking out.

"C'mere, Lori," Steve said, gesturing to his side, and she transferred herself to Steve's side. He wrapped his arm around her, and she fit her head comfortably between his shoulder and chin. Steve couldn't help but notice that they fit together perfectly, two pieces molded for each other.

"You're warm," Lori mumbled, quickly falling asleep. Steve chuckled. He could get used to this.

Two hours later, Steve was still sleeping. Lori had just stirred, and had drowsily walked into the kitchen, listening to her stomach's complaints and heeding the call of food. She eventually found a box of Cheerios, but decided not to eat them, and just made some tea for herself.

Lori walked outside, watching the sun rise over the Hawaiian ocean. The sky was painted with pink and orange. She stood there, letting the wind blow through her hair, closing her eyes for a little bit and taking in a deep breath of air. Lori opened her eyes, walking over to the radio. She fiddled with the radio, avoiding heavy metal, making small noises of disgust in the back of her throat whenever she heard it. She also avoided rap and hip-hop style music, instead settling on a station that was playing soft music.

"When I look into your eyes, it's like watching the night sky," rang out softly from the radio. Lori's breath hitched. She hadn't heard this song in ages. And she loved it. She hummed along happily to the song, reflecting on past relationships, and how this song's message never happened with any of her past flings. She had never really loved them, all except for the one she left waiting at the altar. But she never regretted it.

"I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough, I'm giving you all my love," Lori softly sang, her voice sounding sweet and clear. She sang every word. She had this memorized. "'Cause even the stars, they burn, some even fall to the Earth, we've got a lot to learn, God knows we're worth it, no, I won't give up," she sang, a little louder. Lori hadn't realized that Steve was silently standing in the doorway, listening to her sing.

He thought her voice was beautiful.

Lori's blonde hair, combined with the early morning's light, looked like a halo. Her thin, scarred hands held a black mug with the Navy crest on it. Her green eyes were closed, and her dark lashes were fanned across her cheeks as she sung every word.

Steve didn't have many memories, and he was going to make more, but he knew this one, the memory of her bathed in light and singing Jason Mraz, it would always be his favorite.

He thought-no, he knew- Lori Weston was beautiful. Steve's heart fluttered in his chest with this sudden realization.

The song ended, and then the radio station started playing the song, "Fallin' For You."

He knew that he was falling for Lori.

Lori stood up and turned the radio off. When she turned around and saw Steve, she froze. A blush was immediately visible on her cheeks.

Steve lost his smart-aleck remark or smirk, and he wordlessly walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

He would never give up on Lori.


	5. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi, people. :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading my story. I really appreciate it, and I literally squeal with glee whenever someone says something nice.

Spring break is over now, so, be forewarned, I might not update quickly, and please bear with me. :) Also, I want to know what _you_ want to see in the story. If you want, you can either say it in a review, or PM me, whichever is most convenient for you. I really want to put in what you want to see.

P.S. I'm terrible at writing kissing fluff. Seriously. Or just fluff in general. It took me forever (meaning thirty minutes) to come up with Chapter 4's fluff. So don't expect much in that department. I'm also going to make a point to research for my work more (**Qweb**, really, thank you for that; it definitely was a wake-up call) so that it will hopefully be correct to some extent. You can't trust the Internet.

Again, thank you so, so much! :)


	6. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hawaii Five-O.  
>DANG IT. I REALLY WANTED TO.<p>

Lori felt so embarrassed. So, so embarrassed.

Steve had heard her singing.

As soon as she saw him when she turned away from the radio, her first thought was, "Oh, crap."

But instead he had just wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss on her head.

Her heart had skipped a beat.

Premature ventricular contractions, Max probably would have said.

Steve flustered her so much, made her blush, made her heart race, and when they argued in his office, he would make her angry. He made her into a stuttering fool. Or even worse, silent.

She would be lying if she said she didn't like knowing him. She loved it.

When she had quit, Lori had gone home and cried herself to sleep, sobbed while she placed neatly folded clothes into boxes, wept as she roughly shoved plates and glasses into boxes full of crumpled newspaper. Preparing to go back to the house.

But it felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders when she told Steve how she felt. She hated the awkward goodbye that ensued after, and hated that Steve wanted her to stay. When he said, "I don't want you to quit," it just confused her. She hated being confused and confusion. Chaos. She hated chaos. And at that exact moment, it was all that filled her mind.

Lori was going to miss Danny, Chin, and Kono. She was going to miss Steve, her job, the cool wind that blew through her windows at seven in the evening. She would miss the pineapple. She would miss Steve.

And two days after she had quit, she was drugged and woke up in a dark, damp cell with Steve. And he couldn't remember anything.

And now here she was. On Steve's deck. Hugging him.

Feelings she swore to herself would be dormant in Steve's presence bubbled up in her chest. She felt him smile against her head, and Lori tried to reluctantly shrug those fluttery feelings in her stomach away. She couldn't. As if she ever could.

"Any new memories?" she finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"One about arguing with Danny over pineapple, but that's it for now," Steve said seriously, and Lori laughed.

"It'll take a while, but with patience, it should be easy."

"I hate patience."

"Hmmm," Lori hummed in agreement. They still clung to each other in the cool morning air. The sun had fully risen, but was still relatively low in the sky. Lori guessed that it was around 6:45 or 7:00.

"Ring-ring-ring-ring-ring-ring-ring BANANA PHOOOONE," rang out, from inside the house. Steve looked at Lori, smirking.

"Banana phone? Really?" he asked, and Lori blushed a little as she extricated herself from Steve's grip to answer her phone.

"Yes, really, when you have a nephew that likes bananas," she answered. Steve laughed. "Hi, Jason, what's going on?" She sat there silently smiling as she talked to her four-year-old nephew, who was currently going through a phase where he was obsessed with Tonka trucks. "You got a new Tonka truck? That's great!" She briefly looked at her watch. It was seven in the morning, meaning that Jason was just about to set off for kindergarten in California. "Okay, don't you need to go? School? Yes? Okay. Bye. Love you!" Lori hung up and smiled, shaking her head a little.

"Kids," Steve said, still smirking. "They're..."

"Amazing," Lori supplied, helping herself to an apple resting on the counter. She crunched on it for a minute. Steve sauntered away, smiling back at her briefly. Lori rolled her eyes and continued eating. She looked at her reflection in the window, pretending to chew like a cow. She leaned over the sink, looking out onto the ocean.

She felt a pair of hands on her hips and jumped.

Lori turned around, then froze, immediately thinking of the day she felt a hand covered in cloth clap over her mouth, and she couldn't breathe anything but...chloroform? So old fashioned. But she still had no idea. She felt terror grip her body as she recalled waking up, looking at her raw wrists and ankles, seeing Steve's slumped form. She remembered running over to him, rubbing blood off his cheekbones, fear gripping her and gutting her stomach. She remembered seeing his blue eyes open, and hope slowly seeping through her bones. She remembered smiling at him. She had never been happier to see the color blue.

It was like she was there in the cell again. She could practically feel the humid air making her skin damp.

Steve could see her eyes glaze over and widen slightly as she relived something.

"Lori!" he said, shaking her shoulders a bit. She looked up at him. "I won't do that again."

"Don't," Lori said pathetically. She wrapped her arms around his waist and fell silent. Steve just wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered, breaking the silence.

"I don't like surprises."

"Me neither."

"Surprise parties aren't good when the person you're surprising has a gun," Lori said lightly, her voice muffled slightly by Steve's chest. Steve laughed, and she could feel it vibrate through her.


End file.
